Under the moon
by Shawshank.oh
Summary: Ginny and Hermione deal with the trauma of there near death experiences in book 2. There friendship starts to bloom as they begin to confide in each other, but will the late night confiding lead to more than just friendship? Trying to stay in cannon
1. Chapter 1

The moon's bright light cast deep shadows across the four poster beds of the Gryffindor girls dorm room. Hermione looked up at the moon and judged it was probably a little before 1AM. She pulled the blankets tighter around her shoulders as her gaze drifted to the bed next to hers. The mess of red hair that was facing her shrugged in a deep sigh.

"Ginny I know you're awake," she whispered. The lump of blankets tightened around Ginny's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" she asked caringly.

There was no answer, just a heavier sigh from Ginny and a faint sniff of a sob. Hermione considered pressing the issue, fighting her own demons and insomnia, but somehow she felt it would be wise to let things lie.(literally) When Ginny is ready to tell her, if she ever is, she'll tell her.

She rolled on her back and stared up at the enchanted ceiling, stars twinkled, unaffected by the moon's glare outside. She closed her eyes tightly; trying to hold back her own tears as the stung her eyes. Taking so many classes was taking a toll on her mentally, Ron and Harry were furious over her for things she hadn't done, and Pansy had picked this time to find something extra insensitive toward her any chance she got.

What was the point of all of this? Her mother had often said, everything happens for a reason, she just wish she knew why at seemingly the worse time things were beginning to quite genuinely suck.

Hermione twirled her wand at the ceiling, small blue sparks floated up toward the ceiling, as if made by some sort of enchanted blue fire. The calming peacefulness of the act subdued her nerves, she wasn't sure how long it had been but she knew by the time she realized what she was doing again, slivers of blue were beginning to push against the black of night in the east.

"You've been doing that all night," Ginny's voice finally broke quietly over the early morning silence. Hermione lowered her wand quickly looking over at Ginny's bed, startled. Ginny was sitting up in her bed, her pillows propped under her back, a gold colored night robes sat snugly around her body, her cheeks and eyes red and raw from tears.

"Have I?" Hermione asked, despite being relatively aware of her actions of the past few hours. There was a brief pause between the two as they awkwardly thought of ways to dodge the white elephant in the room.

Finally Hermione found the words buried in her throat. "Ginny," she paused taking a deep breath. "What's wrong?" she asked caringly. "You've been sobbing all night," she added.

"So have you!" Ginny shot back defensively. Hermione hadn't even realized the tears had continued to flow after she entranced herself with the sparks.

The two girls sat in silence staring at each other, waiting for the other to start spilling there woes. The moments became increasingly tense until Hermione sighed, turning away. "I'm just really stressed about school and the other girls are just acting horribly toward me", she responded choosing her words carefully so as to not give away any specifics.

"Yea" Ginny responded quietly, half in agreement, half shrugging off the half hearted explanation she had been given. "You're stressed because Harry and Ron have been mad at you too," she added coldly.

Hermione snarling fell back into her bed. "If I was that easy to read why even ask?" she asked coldly. Ginny didn't respond her eyes tearing with frustration. There was a long silence between the two as tears slid down Ginny's face.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Ginny responded apologetically. "I just don't understand why you're so upset." She responded anger filling her voice, "what hardships have you ever had to face in your life? When was the last time _you nearly died!" _There was silence as her words began to sink in between the two.

"So this is about last year?" Hermione finally asked breaking the silence. Ginny nodded trying to hide the tears that were running down her face.

"Somehow I figured that this would bring the two of us closer together, instead he acts as though I don't even exist." She paused fighting back tears, "I can't really blame him."

"Oh…" Hermione's voice trailed off, her mind drifting to Ron. "Well, to answer your question, the last time I nearly died, was last year… a few weeks before you." Hermione responded a fear gripping her voice. "Yea I thought it would bring me closer to him too, instead he won't talk to me."

Ginny looked at her terror gripping her eyes, "wait you mean you, and… Ha-," she couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence, tears already running down her cheeks.

Hermione fought back a laugh, a small chuckle breaking past her lips as she thought of her and Harry together. Sure he was a catch and rather cute… but her and Harry? That was a hilarious notion in its own right. "What's so funny?" Ginny asked bitterly.

"It's not Harry," she admitted slowly feeling herself blush.

Ginny looked perplexed for a moment as she tried to put together what Hermione had said. "Oh," she finally responded a smile creeping on to her face. "Ew..." she responded the first hints of a laugh coming from the girls all night.

The two sat in silence, for the first time giggling to themselves at what they had admitted to each other, for once realizing that they weren't all that different from each other, there situations not to dissimilar. It helped, just to know that there was someone else going through something similar. Hermione reached up and dried the tears from Ginny's cheeks, before wiping the tears from her own cheeks.

"Thanks," Ginny said barely audibly, her cheeks filling with color as she curled back into her bed.

Hermione smiled nodding in agreement before also pulling the covers up tightly around her, glad for once she didn't have class in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione was probably the last person to wake up in the dorm room; the sun was already over the top of the window casting a long shadow across the floor. A tall clock in the corner rang quietly, Hermione lost count of the dings somewhere after 7.

She sleepily retreated to the common room which was about half full. Ron and Harry were quietly waving their wands over a wizard-chess board. Harry's eyes diverted from the board to Hermione and then back down as if he had only seen a bird in the window.

She looked around the room solemnly looking for some sign of friendship, acceptance. Ginny was curled up with a blanket by the fire reading a book. She smiled gently before returning her gaze to the book. Hermione sighed heavily before turning back to her room, feeling alone and unwanted Hermione turned to her books to try and forget the problems she was facing. Books, and there judgeless attitude were her only solace.

"I know you really hate Divination-," came a timid voice from the stairway after about a half hour of deafening silence.

"What do you want Lavender?" Hermione responded quickly cutting her off.

"I was… just hoping you'd help me figure something out with the astrology," she explained, "I guess that's close enough to astronomy for you to not be '_wasting_' your time on it." Hermione looked at her angrily.

"I'm busy, sorry" she said trying to sound as genuinely apologetic as possible. Lavender turned with a grunt and retreated down the stairs.

Ginny was the next to retreat to the dorms only a few minutes after Lavender had disappeared back down to the common room. "Lavender is pissed," she said matter-of-factly.

Hermione shrugged, "should I be worried?" she responded quietly.

"It bugs you," Ginny replied.

There was a long pause between the two, "no it doesn't," Hermione openly lied, though it was clear she was bothered by Lavender's anger.

Ginny sat on Hermione's bed at her knee, "listen," she paused taking a deep breath, "maybe we need to go have some fun."

Hermione looked up from her books, "what'd you have in mind?"

"Well…" Ginny let her voice fade off as she walked into the dorm looking over her shoulder a school girl smile creeping onto her face. "If you love…" she snickered unable to bring the word Ron, or 'my brother,' to her lips.

Hermione nodded quickly, "uh-hu."

"And I love," she looked over her shoulder to make sure the room was empty.

"Yes?" Hermione cut her off knowing who she was talking about without her having to finish her sentence.

"And we know they obviously don't love us." Ginny explained.

Hermione sighed heavily, "Ginny for Merlin's sake, what are you thinking?"

"Let's make a love potion to help them along!" Ginny burst out barely audible.

"I'm sorry…" Hermione responded dumbfounded. "What?"

"We can give them a love potion!" Ginny repeated.

There was a long silence between the two as Hermione blinked dumbfounded a few more times. "Ginny, do you realize how difficult love potions are to make?" She finally asked after a minute.

Ginny nodded slowly, "I figured you'd appreciate the challenge." Hermione gritted her teeth at Ginny's comment.

"We don't have ANY of the ingredients." Hermione shot back.

Ginny smiled innocently shifting her weight. "You let me deal with that." Hermione looked at her looking for any excuse to avoid the idea.

"I-I don't have time to brew a potion that complicated," she stammered "I barely have time for classes as it is… and even then I.." she cut her self off.

"You can do most of the work I'll do the busy work." Ginny responded.

Hermione looked at her realizing there was little talking her out of it at this point.

"Please, stop acting like you're going to pass up this opportunity." Ginny cut in to Hermione's thought process.


End file.
